The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has appointed Foster + Partners, one of the most innovative architecture and integrated design firms in the world, as the Design Architect for Lusail Stadium, the proposed host venue for the Final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.

In an eagerly-awaited step under its stadium development programme, the SC has concluded its international design competition for Lusail Stadium by awarding the Design Architect services contract to the London-based world-renowned architects. Foster + Partners will be carrying out the architectural design work as part of a team of sports and stadium design experts which includes ARUP and Populous.

Hassan Al Thawadi, SC Secretary General, said: "We are excited to announce that the design contract has been awarded to Foster and Partners for Lusail Stadium. We look forward to working with them in creating an iconic, contemporary stadium inspired by Qatari culture. Lusail Stadium will be the centre-piece of the tournament, an architecturally innovative stadium which maintains sporting functionality and delivers on our sustainability commitments."

"With this design award, our vision for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East is taking on further shape, following our recently-held first Local Organising Committee board meeting and with five stadiums currently in different stages of construction across the country," Al Thawadi continued.

The design competition involved some of the world's leading architects and stadium design consultants who presented their concepts for Lusail, which is the largest proposed venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ and the site of the opening ceremony and the Final Match.

Lord Foster, Chairman and Founder of Foster + Partners, said: "It is an honour to design this centrepiece stadium – we are delighted to have won the international competition. This is an exciting step forward in stadium design – it will be the first to break the mould of the free standing suburban concept, and instead anticipates the grid of this future city, of which it will be an integral part."

He added: "The project also pioneers the idea of an ongoing life for the stadium beyond the big event. The environmental strategies, particularly those that address the players as well as the spectators, will also be of international interest to the sporting public as well as those concerned with the architecture."

Located in Lusail City, 15 kilometres north of Doha, the stadium will have a net seating capacity of 80,000 spectators and, in adherence with the SC's commitments to providing a level playing field for all teams, will contain an open-air pitch that can be cooled to an optimal 26 degrees Celsius using cooled and shaded spectator stands and state-of-the-art green technologies.

All contracts on Lusail Stadium will incorporate the SC's Workers Welfare Standards. Contractual enforcement of these standards and a rigorous four-tier auditing system will guarantee international best practice on Lusail Stadium and all venue and accommodation sites.